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Long Range Forecasting: Spring 2004. Paul Knight & Rich Grumm PSU/NWS Univ Park/State College PA. Introduction. The Great Tragedy of Science - the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact T.H. Huxley (1825-95) Define Terms Overview of the Material Developing the Discipline.
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Long Range Forecasting:Spring 2004 Paul Knight & Rich Grumm PSU/NWS Univ Park/State College PA
Introduction • The Great Tragedy of Science - the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact • T.H. Huxley (1825-95) • Define Terms • Overview of the Material • Developing the Discipline
Defining Terms • Extended Forecasting • a prediction of weather conditions for a period extending beyond more than 3 days from issuance • Medium Range Forecasting • a prediction of weather conditions for a period extending from 3 to 7 days from issuance • Long Range Forecasting • a prediction of weather conditions for a period extending beyond more than 7 days from issuance - there is no limit how far beyond
AMS Statement on Extended Forecasting • 1991 • 6 to 10 days: some skill in mean temp and precip relative to climatology (T better than P) • Monthly/Seasonal forecasts: slight skill in mean temperature and precipitation departure; but no skill in day to day forecasts • 2001 • dramatic improvement in 1-2 seasons in advance forecasts of temp and precip • still no day-to-day skill beyond 1-2 weeks
Secrets Revealed • The Tropics (oceans) drive the changes in seasonal and annual conditions in the middle latitudes • The myth of the perfect analog • While an enormous number of cases are needed for ‘the perfect analog’, a substantial amount of useful information is available from a carefully selected few. • The start of desktop LRF research (for regional/local connections)
Developing the Discipline • Recent Past • What has been the trend? • Why has the trend changed? • Current conditions • What are the most salient features? • Why is it happening? • Forecast conditions • What do the dynamic and statistical models show and why?
Past Conditions Fall (Sept-Nov) 2003 Temperatures
Past Conditions 500 hPa anomalies for last 35 days
The Master Forecaster • Seeks to learn what is going on • Diagnosis leads to understanding • Use remotely sensed and model data • Seeks to understand what will happen • Medium range analysis tools integrating data sets • Model tools to forecast at long range
Forecast Funnel Theory(traditional view) • represents the scales of interaction: hemispheric, synoptic, mesoscale and local that influence the onset of and changes in weather events for a particular forecast area. These scale interactions establish a context for demonstrating and establishing essential forecasting skills. • Forecasters spend more time on details near bottom of the funnel the local scale
(Updated) Forecast Funnel • Consider forecast length (time) as well as scale • Consider tools for both the scale and the time • Forecaster time will be focused more on the details as the weather gets more interesting • Sensible weather is local
Satellites S C A L E Ensembles Climate (PNA/NAO) Climatic Anomalies Satellites Analysis diagnosis Ensembles Models and Climatic Anomalies Mesoscale Models and ensembles Mesoscale Models Radar Analysis Weeks Days Hours Event Time Scales of Prediction
References Buroughs, W.J., 1992: Weather Cycles: Real or Imaginary? Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0 521 47869 3 Brooks, H.E, C. A. Doswell III, and R.A. Maddox, 1993: On the Use of Mesoscale and Cloud-Scale Models in Operational Forecasting. Wea. Fore.7, 7, 120-132. URL’s: http://grads.iges.org/ellfb/Dec02/Pierce/fig1.gif http://www.cdc.noaa.gov/HistData/ http://opwx.db.erau.edu/~herbster/wx427/fcst_process.html http://meted.ucar.edu/mesoprim/mesodefn/print.htm http://www.atmos.colostate.edu/ao/Figures/Thompson_Wallace_Science2001/index.html http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/tanal/accesspage.html http://ingrid.ldeo.columbia.edu/maproom/Global http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/surface/us_AFsnow.gif